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Blending Basics




Source of Recipe


http://groups.msn.com/SoapmakingIIanewbeginning/scentblending.msnw


List of Ingredients




Creating your own fragrances is a playful art. One which calls for no more than a little intuition, imagination, the love of beautiful scent and attention to a few simple guidelines.

Start small, mixing no more than 2 to 5 essential oils per blend and blending drop by drop. To get a feel for particular combinations of oils, put the bottle caps together and smell them, or use small strips of coffee filter. Working in a warm room will enhance the aromatic qualities of the oils. If your oil bottles are not equipped with dropper tops, measure oils with a glass dropper, rinsing it in rubbing alcohol and wiping it off between each oil.

Top, middle, and base notes.

Top notes (5% to 20%) have the fastest evaporation rates. These are sharp, penetrating scents that you notice first when you smell a blend, and include citrus, needle oils, eucalyptus and mints. Usually tops notes are considered stimulating and refreshing.

Middle notes (50% to 80%) are soft and balanced and ususally make up the majority of a blend. They include oils like roman chamomile, lavender, geranium and petitgrain. Middle notes are considered harmonizing.

Base notes (5% to 20%) have the lowest evaporation rates, base notes are deep and heavy and are used in blends as fixatives, (a stabilizer that increases the 'staying power' of a blend). Base notes are resins, gums or woods and may be quite thick. Base notes are considered relaxing, include angelica, benzoin, balsams, myrrh, spikenard, patchouli, jasmine and ylang-ylang.

Allow blends to age a week or more before using them in soap. If you don't immediately love your creation, be patient. Blends undergo great transformations as they cure in the soap.

Store your finished blend in as small a bottle as possible. (Amber or Cobalt blue glass bottles are best). Blends and all essential oils should be kept cool, away from direct sun.

Be sure to keep detailed notes and label all of your blends so you can reproduce your successes or adjust blends that do not satisfy you. Keep in mind that essential oils tend to vary somewhat from crop to crop, so a reproduced blend may differ slightly from your original.

Remember, there is no wrong scent. It is up to your nose and your intuition. This is the art of blending essential oils!

Recipe